Up to 20 shot dead by police in Tunisian and Algerian food riots

Share via

Tunisians bury their relatives at a cemetery in Tala after fatal food clashesEPA

Charles BremnerParis

Last updated at 11:02PM, January 9 2011

The governments of Tunisia and Algeria sought yesterday to stem growing unrest
over food prices that has sparked riots in which at least ten people have
been killed over the past three weeks.

After four days of youth protests, Algeria moved to cut the cost of staple
foods yesterday. But in Tunisia, President Ben Ali’s police adopted harsh
tactics, shooting dead at least two and wounding eight in one outbreak of
youth rioting.

Tunisian police used firearms against rioters in the town of Thala, 125 miles
southwest of the capital and near the Algerian border in the most deadly
single